Whisper on the Edge
by feel-seek-heal
Summary: Santana and Brittany have been the proud foster parents of six kids in the past. They've dealt with children off all different kinds. But when they end up with an abused little girl, will they be able to help her heal while dealing with the complications that come with living in the public eye?
1. 1 - She's Just a Baby

**Brittany's POV**

"Sanny!" I shout as I enter our apartment, "I'm home! Can we have pizza tonight? I really want some pizza from Eddie's… Where are you at, San?"

"Living room baby," I hear her voice answer before another mumbles something.

I frown as I make my way to her, "Do we have guests?"

Walking in, I realize San is on the laptop, Skyping with Puck. He smiles, "Nope. Your wife was just telling me how much she missed you today."

"Was she?" I inquire, leaning down to plant a kiss on Santana's forehead, "Hi baby."

"Hi honey." She pulls me down on to her lap and asks, "How was your day? Dance a lot?"

"Fine," I begin. "Although, I spent more time trying to find Jimmy's replacement than actually teaching classes."

"What's wrong with Jimmy?" Puck questions. He and Jimmy had met when I hired him as a dance instructor while opening my dance studio. They became best friends within minutes.

San kisses my shoulder and then answers, "Britt had to take him to the hospital yesterday because he fell during rehearsals. He's got a broken ankle."

"I swear man, I'm gone for three days and you guys start falling apart," he taunts.

"Speaking of," I start. "When are you coming back? Emily called this morning complaining about missing you."

"It's the first time we've been apart since the wedding." Puck shakes his head, "I miss her too… I was scheduled to stay two more days, but my boss is letting some of us leave a day early. I should be home on Friday."

Meeting his wife, Emily, was the best thing that could've ever happened to Puck. He was visiting all of us in New York and ran into her at one of Santana's recording sessions. Emily got him in line and made him grow up a bit. He went to night school and eventually got a great job training new computer programmers. He usually doesn't have to leave town for his job, but it happens once in a while. Since the wedding 3 months ago, Emily and he had been attached at the hip. He was called out of town three days ago and Emily has been a mess without him around. Not even Santana were that bad when we got married straight out of college.

"Cool, we'll come see you and Em on Saturday," Sanny looks to me for confirmation and I nod.

* * *

"I got a call from Alisa today," Santana mentions as we get ready for bed. Alisa is the social worker that handles our cases. We've been foster parents for years and absolutely love having kids around. Being foster parents just makes the whole experience even more rewarding because most of the kids we get have never been in a loving home. It makes it so worth it when the kids find out we'll actually care about them. We've had four boys and two girls so far. Most of them were teenagers, but we've had some little ones as well. Most of them we're still in contact with.

"Yeah? What did she say?" I inquire.

Arms wrap around my waist from behind and Sanny's soft smile shines through the mirror before she explains, "We have a meeting with her at the office tomorrow afternoon. She's got a special case for us that needs a bit more privacy while explaining… I think she's kinda desperate with this one. Or, at least, that's the way she sounded on the phone."

Burrowing under the blankets, San's body rolls on top of my own. A kiss is pressed to my forehead and a grin forms on my lips. I push a piece of raven hair out of her face as I wonder, "We'll be singing the custody papers tomorrow, won't we?"

"Of course we will," she smiles. "We can't resist having kids around. We do parenting too well not to have kids all the time."

I giggle, pushing her off of me, "We do."

* * *

"Hello ladies," Alisa greets us as she opens her office door.

"Hi Alisa," I shake her hand and take a seat in front of her desk.

Santana sits next to me and says, "It's nice to see you. Been a while."

"Yes it has," she replies, taking a seat at her desk. "But, now I need your help."

"Is there a new foster child?" Sanny asks. "Because we've been talking, and we'd love to have another kid."

Alisa sighs, "Yeah, I'm desperate. No one wants her. They say she's too complicated and they don't wanna get involved."

"We're good at complicated," I state.

"True," she chuckles. "You've always done well with getting kids back on the right track… It's just… This isn't exactly like that."

I frown as San inquires, "Then, what's it like?"

"She's only four… Her name is Lucy and she was abused by her biological parents… We're not exactly sure what extent the abuse went to because she's way too scared to talk about it, but we had plenty of physical evidence. The parents were sentenced to jail time last week… Lucy's been staying with a detective that was helping with her case… Lucy's so… she's so broken… We can barely get her to talk at all… I can't even explain it to you. You'll have to see it for yourself… If you're willing to?" she raises an eyebrow.

I glance at Santana and it only takes a second for me to know we're on the same page, "Of course. We'd love to have her. We can deal with any problems that come up."

"Speaking of problems: we've been trying to have her talk to a therapist. For the most part she doesn't say anything, but he thinks that she might have social anxiety disorder. She's had numerous panic attacks since I've known her, and there were plenty before that also," she reveals.

Sanny frowns, "That's not a problem, Alisa. That's just something we'll deal with and help her through."

Alisa's eyes light up, "I knew you two were perfect for this."

"As long as you explain to her before we get there that it's two women and not a man and a women," I remind her. "Last time we showed up and you hadn't explained, that kid went crazy."

"Don't worry. I think she'll be relieved. We've noticed that she's a little less tense when there're no men around," Alisa sighs. "I'll have to do some paperwork today and then talk to her tomorrow morning. She's gotten used to being at the police station a lot lately and she seems the least scared when she's there, so you can meet her there. If everything works out and she likes you guys, you'll be able to take her home tomorrow night… How 'bout I email you the details tonight and I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

"Perfect," I smile.

* * *

"Britt?" Santana's soft voice invades the silence.

I bury my face in her hair, "Yeah baby?"

"How… How does someone hurt a four year old… She's just a baby… a little girl…" she turns her head a little and the moon reflects in her dark eyes. Not many people see this Santana: the one that worries about children, and thinks about pain, and gets sad. I do, but I'm her person and she's mine, so it's ok for her to be this Santana around me because I'm safe.

"I'm not sure… I guess… Well, the way I see it… if everyone was good and perfect and did everything the right way and nobody was bad or evil or hurtful- well then we wouldn't really think the good people were good… We'd just think they were the normal people and no one who was special would feel special… I think we need good people and bad people 'cause otherwise we'd all be normal… and I-I don't really wanna be just normal…" I ramble into her neck.

Santana rolls over, stroking my cheek with the back of her hand. The moonlight shows me the tears in her eyes. She blinks and they fall to the pillow. I don't like seeing her cry.

"Did I say something wrong?" I ask, worried I caused the tears.

"No, not at all," her head shakes slightly. "It was perfect. Exactly what I needed, Baby B."

We descend into silence once again, our eyes connecting. The tears are gone now and I'm glad I don't have to see her sad. A deep breath escapes my lips before I whisper, "We'll take care of her, Sanny. We'll love her and that's the most important thing."

She places a chaste kiss on my lips and snuggles further into my arms, "I know. I love you, Baby B."

"Love you too, Sanny."

* * *

**Santana's POV**

"Wait, she's only four?" Kurt frowns. "How bad was the abuse? I mean, wouldn't she like… break? She's gotta be really tiny."

"Alisa said they're not exactly sure how bad it was, but she also said they put her parents in jail based on physical evidence, so obviously it must've been pretty bad," I shrug. "We're supposed to pick her up at two and we can only take her home tonight if she's comfortable enough."

"But," Brittany interjects. "Alisa is skeptical that we'll get her tonight. It took them a whole week to get her to talk to anyone and then another week to get her to go stay at a detective's house. She probably won't even talk to us today. Alisa just wants her to start getting used to us being around. The more she's around us, the more comfortable she'll be when we do take her home."

"But you have the papers so whenever she's ready you can take her home?" Rachel quirks her head to the side.

I nod, "Yeah, but the goal is to make her comfortable with us before we put her in a completely new situation."

"Isn't she already in a completely new situation?" Kurt narrows his eyes. "I mean, they took her from what she's always known, even if it was horrible and abusive."

Brittany shakes her head, "Yeah, but she's already been out of the house and living with the detective for a whole month. Well… she sleeps at her house, but she spends her days at the station for the most part. That's where we have to go today. She's gotten used to being there."

"Don't you think it's unhealthy for a little girl to be living like that?" Rachel inquires. "Especially after everything she's been through. That's not very stable. Why hasn't she been placed in a foster home yet?"

"Alisa's been trying, but Lucy most likely has social anxiety disorder and the other foster parents don't wanna deal with all the complications…" I sigh.

"What?" Rachel squeaks. "How the hell do you abandon an abused four year old? That's like cruel."

"Tell me about it," Britt exhales deeply.

* * *

"Hi there," Alisa says as we walk up to her. I send her a half smile before looking into the small window in the door on my right.

"Is she in there?" I ask, tilting my head towards the door.

"Yeah," Alisa nods. "She hasn't left all morning. We told her about you two a couple hours ago, and I could tell she was a little relieved when she heard there would be no males in the house."

"Men can be more intimidating to a four year old than women," Brittany mumbles, looking through the window and frowning. "Where is she? I don't see her."

"She's hiding," Alisa replies. "There's a little spot between the couch and wall where she likes to sit. We've found that she likes to hide in small spaces. I guess it makes her feel safe."

I close my eyes and shake my head slowly; there is a little girl who feels the need to hide in order to be safe. It's complete asinine.

"What else should we know?" Brittany asks, rubbing the base of my neck softly. I lean a bit further into her, needing more contact.

"Physically, she's pretty healthy. The doctor who's been treating her says that she's recovered from the abuse extremely well. At least, physically. Her speech is beyond her years. Obviously, she doesn't talk very much, but when she does, it's not like a four year old. The speech patterns are those of a child years older. She's very smart. We found out a couple weeks ago that she already knows how to read to a certain degree. Let's see… Oh, the therapist says that you might wanna get her a teddy bear or a blanket. He said that even though they're primarily more for younger kids, she's still a little behind on her mental and emotional growth for obvious reasons. Also, he said having something like that might be helpful to calm her when the S.A.D. flares up… He also wants her to continue therapy, whether it be with him, or another doctor."

"We already planned to keep her in therapy," I say. "I didn't think it was even a discussion. But we think she might do better with a female doctor. We'll look into it for her."

"Sounds like you two are more than ready," Alisa smiles. "Don't worry. She's probably not gonna warm up to you guys for a while. But getting her used to you both with help her be comfortable. As soon as she's ready, all the silly legal things are ready for you to take her home."

"Alright," I exhale deeply. "Let's go. I wanna see her."

"Me too," Britt kisses my cheek.

Alisa nods, opening the door. I go next, Brittany bringing up the rear. Alisa goes straight to the small spot between the couch and the wall in the far corner. Kneeling down, she quietly says, "Lucy, Santana and Brittany are here to see you. I'll be right here too, I promise."

Alisa stands up, taking a few steps back. When she gestures to the ground, I nod and take her space, kneeling where she had. I feel Brittany kneeling next to me, but all I can focus on is the little girl in the corner. Knees up to her chest, I can just barely see her hazel eyes peeking out from behind them. Her messy bleach blonde hair flows down past her tiny shoulders that visibly tense up as she looks at us. Lifting her head up just a little bit, a small button nose pokes out. Rosy cheeks brush up against her knees as she looks back and forth between me and Brittany.

"Hi there, sweetheart," I smile at her gently. "My name is Santana and this is my wife Brittany."

"It's nice to meet you, honey," Britt adds. "And you can call us whatever you want. We don't mind."

"You're name is Lucy, right?" I question, going on without an answer, "Is it ok if we sit with you for a while?"

Lucy's little eyes flicker between us and we wait patiently. Finally, she's gives a nod of her head, almost unnoticeable, but we get the message. Brittany and I situate ourselves on the ground. I take a moment to recognize that the space she's in is almost too small for her, but she seems to be comfortable there.

"Lucy, I just want you to know, that it's completely fine if you don't wanna talk," Brittany speaks first. "We won't be mad at all if you stay quiet. But, if you have something to say, you're also allowed to do that, ok honey?"

Lucy once again gives a single nod before pulling her knees tighter to her tiny frame. I try to make conversation, "So, we heard you've been living with one of the police women. Do you like it there?"

She shakes her head, a little more confidently, never taking her eyes off of our faces.

"You don't?" I ask, a gentle voice coming out. "You wanna tell us why not?"

We both wait, giving her the option to speak, but not expecting her to. Britt and I find ourselves surprised when she searches our eyes carefully before whispering, "Scary."

I shoot a look of shock towards Alisa, which she returns. Lucy speaking today was not on our list of things to expect. Her voice still has its childish ring to it, but as Alisa said, she has no problem pronouncing the word for the most part. Brittany steps up, ignoring our surprise, "It's scary? Well, that's not good. Can you tell me why it's scary?"

Lucy just gives a little shrug. I realize she's probably scared all the time, not just because of where she's staying. I tilt my head a bit, "You don't know? That's ok. Sometimes I get scared too when there's nothing around to scare me."

"Really?" Lucy's questioning voice once again surprises us all.

"Yep," I say, popping the 'p.'

"Me too," Britt adds.

Lucy bites her chapped lip roughly before admitting, "I don't like bein' scared."

I feel my heart break a little. Brittany quickly says, "Well, guess what. Santana and I… We're really safe. And we can keep you safe too… We don't want you to feel scared anymore."

We watch as Lucy's eyes fill with tears and her tiny fists come up to furiously rub at them, "I-I'm sorry… P-Pwease, I'm s-sowwy…"

"Hey, hey, hey…" I gently murmur, scooting forward a bit. "It's ok, little one. It's alright to cry. We're not mad at you. Just take some deep breaths."

"N-No, no, n-no… I-I sowwy…" Lucy continues to violently rub at her eyes. Britt and I both take notice of how her speech regresses the more worked up she gets. Maybe she works at keeping it sounding better, but when she's upset she can't help it.

Not able to take anymore, I lean forward and wrap my arms completely around the little girl. Pulling her out of the space, I set her on my lap sideways, so Brittany can see her. Obviously Britt gets the message because she quickly moves as close to us as she can and gently puts her hands on top of Lucy's.

"Baby, it's ok. You're gonna hurt yourself. Just relax for me, ok? Me and Santana are right here," Britt whispers in her ear. "We're safe, remember? Safe, I promise."

Slowly, Lucy's fists lower from her red eyes and sit on her lap. I squeeze her a little, "Good girl. See? Everything's ok. You can cry if you want to. We won't be upset with you. We just don't want you to hurt yourself like you were."

"Safe…" Lucy mumbles under breath.

"Yeah, that's right… Safe…" I grin and duck my head to catch her gaze. After a second of hesitation, Lucy does meet my eyes, "Hi there, little one. You have very pretty eyes."

"I l-like yours," she whispers.

"Well, I think your hair is beautiful," Brittany runs her fingers through the girl's blonde locks.

Lucy actually gives us a little smile, "Only 'cause it's wike yours."

"Maybe," Britt grins.

A voice clears behind me and I jump a bit before realizing it's only Alisa, "Sorry to break this up, but I was wondering if you all wanted some alone time?"

"It's up to you, little one."

Lucy looks up at Alisa for a second before giving a small nod. Alisa smiles at Britt and me, "Ok, I'll be right outside if you need me, Lucy."

Alisa doesn't hesitate before walking out the door we came in. Turning back to the tiny body in my arms, I gently knock my head into the side of hers, "So, you got any questions for us, sweetheart?"

Lucy frowns a little and looks down at Brittany's hands holding her own, "I-I… I'm goin' h-home with you t-two?"

Brittany nods slightly, "Yes, one day."

Lucy's eyes snap up to Britt's, "N-Not tah-day?"

"Well," I start. "It depends on you, little one. If you want to, you can come home with us today. But, we thought you might like to meet with us a few more times before you come with us."

Her head bows, little eyebrows tilting down again. Mouth opening, she pauses before whispering, "You s-said safe…"

"We are very safe, little one," B assures her.

"I-I don't wanna st-stay again… I-I wanna g-go with you…"

"Ok, honey," I grin, pressing a kiss to her temple. "We can go anytime you want."

Carefully, Lucy leans into my front a little further, relaxing her tense shoulders, "W-where do ya li-live?"

"Not far from here," Britt explains. "In an apartment with a big kitchen and a huge comfy couch. And if you look out the window, there's a little pond with ducks."

"I-Is there uh-der kids?"

"No, not right now." I tell her, "We've helped out a bunch of kids before that didn't have homes, but they all grew up or went somewhere else."

The small girl's hazel eyes grew worried, "W-Will I have t-tah go s-somewhere else?"

Quickly, I shake my head, "No, little one. You get to be with us for a long, long time."

Lucy nods, once again calming down. Britt and I notice a questions waiting to come out of her, so we wait patiently in silence. It seems like an important thought because of the way she braces herself for our answer. Finally, she asks, "A-Are you t-two gay?"

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline, shocked at use of the word gay. Brittany recovers before I do, "Ummm… Yeah, sweetie. Santana and I are married, though, just like a boy and a girl can be."

"Where did you learn that word, little one?" I ask.

Lucy looks me in the eyes as her whole body tries to suddenly fight against my hold on her, "P-Please… P-Pwease don't be mah ah m-me…"

"Woah, baby, relax… We're not mad at all… We just wanna know where you heard that word," Brittany soothes as she helps pull Lucy back on to my lap. Petting her hair gently, we both try to use our actions to show her that we won't hurt her. It seems that she responds better to our reassuring touch than she responds to our reassuring words. She stops fighting against us, her body melting into our arms.

After a few minutes, Lucy's breathing goes back to a normal rate and she mumbles, "D-Daddy said i-it…"

I glance up to Britt and our eyes meet before we look back to the hazel eyes watching us, "Ok, little one. We were just wondering. You're not in trouble and you didn't do anything wrong."

"C-Can we l-leave now?" the small murmur asks carefully.

I smile softly at both Lucy and Britt, "Of course we can, little one."


	2. 2 - You're Safe

**Whisper on the Edge**

**Glee**

**2 - You're Safe**

Thank you all so much for reading! I am so happy that people are interested in reading this story and I am so sorry for the long wait. I posted the first chapter before I knew how much homework my teachers would be giving me this year. I wanted to get this chapter out there to show you all that I will be continuing this story, I just don't know how often at this point. Once I get through this school year and I start summer vacation, I will have a ton more time to update, but right now it will just be when I have time. Anyways, please keep reading, my writing partner (Kensie) and I have a lot of plans for the story and we hope you stick around! - Sam

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee or any of the Glee characters

**Brittany's POV**

"B, I'm gonna go get Alisa and ask her if it's ok for us to go," Santana whispers to me before turning to the little girl in her lap, "How about you sit in Brittany's lap for a little while, Lucy? I'm going to talk to Alisa, but you two can stay here, alright?"

Lucy nods slightly as my arms wrap around her tiny waist. Pulling her back to my front, I give a lop sided smile to Sanny. She leans forward to press a kiss to Lucy's temple, then my own. Once she's out of the room, I recline back a little and let Lucy relax against me, "You're gonna love our apartment, sweetie. It's very cozy… Maybe we can watch movie tonight? We've got all the Disney movies. You like those?"

Her little body burrows further into me, "I-I'm not 'llowed t-tah see movies…"

I frown, "No movies? Well, not in our home, baby. You can watch movies in our home. We'll have lots of fun watching them together."

"R-Really?" she exclaims. "I-I heard 'bout S-Snow White once. I-Is that one I-I can watch?"

"Of course!" I grin, holding her a little tighter. "We'll watch that one first. It's got lots of animals and the Seven Dwarfs and a handsome prince."

"Guys, we can go home now," Santana's voice rings out from the door.

I give Lucy a little squeeze before setting her on her feet. Getting to my own, I keep a hold on her hands, feeling the need to be close to her. Guiding her to door, I see Santana's smile fade as we get closer, her eyes focused on Lucy. Looking down, I see Lucy's obvious fear becoming more and more prominent the closer we get to the door. Reaching Santana, I kneel down to her level and ask, "It's pretty scary out there, isn't it?"

Lucy's eyes focus on the ground as she gives a half nod.

"Well, how about I carry you?" I suggest, "It won't be as scary with me holding you. We're safe, remember?"

Lucy's eyes light up a little bit as she nods carefully, as if she's afraid I'll be mad at her for agreeing. Quickly, I pull her towards me and wrap my arms around her. I stand carefully, giving her a gentle squeeze to reassure her. Tiny arms fold around my neck as she looks over at Santana, "We goin' tah your house now?"

"Yes, we are," Sanny smiles. "You wanna say goodbye to Alisa?"

"B-Bye..." Lucy mumbles before hiding her face in my neck. Her blonde hair covers her face and Alisa brushes it away.

"Bye Lucy. I'll see you soon. I'll come visit you at your new house."

Lucy nods, not removing her hidden face from my neck, her hair falling back down to cover her eyes. Alisa hands Santana Lucy's small duffle bag with everything she owns in it. San slings it around her shoulder and turns back to me and Lucy. Santana just strokes her back and leads us through the police station. We make it to the front entrance faster than I expect, and I realize there are some kind of flashes coming from outside.

"B, the paps are out there," San whispers in my ear. "It's gonna scare Lucy. Hold her tight and don't let her look up, ok?"

"Yeah, of course." I nod before giving a little shake, "Baby? We've got to get outside to the taxi, but there are some people outside who want to take pictures of us. We don't want them to, but they're not going to listen to us, so we gotta ignore them. You just keep your head down and don't look. And if they try and talk to you, don't say anything. Just ignore them, ok honey? Santana and I aren't gonna let anything happen to you."

"O-Ok."

"Good girl. We'll try to be quick, baby," Sanny quietly assures her.

Santana puts one hand on the small of my back and the other around Lucy. Walking outside, the flashes go crazy and all the yelling starts.

"_Santana, who's the kid?"_

"_Brittany, do you want another kid too?"_

"_Isn't this too many kids? Like six already?"_

And then there are some more vicious ones:

"_I heard that the kid has been abused? Is she that much trouble?"_

"_Is an abused kid gonna come between your marriage?"_

"_Is the kid gonna take up much time? Is she gonna get in the way of your job Santana?"_

"_The kid looks like you Brittany! Is she a bastard child of yours?"_

Then everything become muffled as the taxi door shuts behind us. The first thing I notice is the slight shaking coming from the tiny body in my arms. Quickly, I alert Santana and she puts her head next to Lucy's, "Baby? You ok? You don't need to be scared anymore. We took care of you. We're safe, remember?"

Lucy's arms loosen around me just a bit as she turns her head towards Santana, "D-Day g-gone?"

San nods slowly, "Yeah, they're outside. We're in the car now."

"S-Scawy..."

I squeeze her waist gently, "Oh, I know they are. I get scared too, and I'm as big as they are. But we're all alright now."

There's a tap on the plastic separating us from the front seat of the taxi, "Ready?"

"Yeah, go ahead," I tell the driver.

Santana buckles herself in before grabbing Lucy and setting her between us, pulling the seatbelt over her. Instantaneously, Lucy screams, "No, no, no! Pwease no! I be good! I be good! No, pwease! I pwomise, I pwomise I be good! No stwap, no stwap! I be good!"

"Woah, woah, woah," I exclaim, putting my arms around Lucy, holding down her flailing arms. "Honey, it's ok. You're a very good girl. We're not mad at you. It's just the seatbelt."

Lucy goes limp in my arms, completely giving up on her fight, "No stwap. No stwap."

"Alright baby. No seatbelt," Santana complies. Obviously it's not the safest option, but it doesn't seem like Lucy can deal with the seatbelt at the moment. So, Santana picks her and puts her on her lap, legs wrapped around her waist. San holds her tight and speaks to the driver, "Please be careful."

"Don't worry. I am," the man replies.

* * *

**Santana's POV**

"Lucy..." I whisper in her ear. "We're home, little one. No more scary yelling or straps."

A tiny head pops up from my shoulder as Brittany sets the duffle bag on the floor next to the door. Lucy's eyes scan what she can see of the apartment. The kitchen off to the right, our living room straight ahead. I see her gaze lingering on the fireplace longer than the rest, "What's dat?"

I grin, walking over to it, "It's a fireplace, baby. You light it up and it makes it warmer in here."

"Oh," she mummers. The TV also seems to catch her attention but before I can take her over to it, she's turns to Brittany, "Snow White on there?"

B grins and nods, "Yeah, honey, we'll watch Snow White on there another day."

I give Britt a questioning look, but she just subtly shakes her head and I drop the subject. Quickly I take Lucy over to the kitchen, "Speaking of dinner, what would you like, little one?"

Lucy tenses up and her eyes drop to the ground. She shrugs her shoulders and I feel her body lean away from me a bit. I glance at Brittany as she comes up to us, "Hey, what's this? We were just wondering what you want to eat. We can have anything you want."

Lucy just shrugs again. I get the feeling she wasn't given this option when she lived with her parents. I gesture Brittany to follow as I take her over to the couch. Sitting down with Lucy on my lap, Brittany plops down next to us. Lucy's gaze goes to her lap where her hands end up fidgeting. I lay mine on top of hers and softly say, "Baby, we have some questions for you. Do you think that's ok? You don't have to answer them if you don't want to. We won't be angry with you if you don't answer."

Lucy hesitates before slightly nodding. Brittany gently runs her fingers over Lucy's arm, trying to settle her obvious tension. I quietly ask, "When you lived with your parents, you didn't have very much fun, did you?"

Her eyebrows furrow and I feel her hands turn to fists under my own. Her head stiffly shakes before she returns to her stoic state. My eyes meets Brittany's as she says, "In our house, we have lots of fun. We watch movies, play games, read stories, and a ton of other things. Now that you live here with us, you get to do all that stuff with us."

Lucy's gaze flickers up to meet Brittany's for a second, but it quickly shifts back down to our conjoined hands. I get the urge to calm her down, so I put my arms around her waist and pull her into my chest, "Honey, nothing bad is gonna happen here. Remember what we said? Me and Brittany are safe. You're always going to be safe when you're with us. I promise that you don't have to worry when you're with us."

Lucy's head turns out towards Britt as she strokes her hair softly. I rub my hands up and down her back and slowly but surely, the tension leaves her body, "There we go... Now that you're with us, you get to eat as much as you need, whenever you need it. And it's ok to sometimes want something. If we ask you what you want, you're allowed to tell us and we'll see if we can make it."

Britt gently smiles at her and whispers, "You didn't get that before, did you? You never got to choose?"

I feel Lucy's little head shake against my chest. I quickly say, "Here, you can. Food is not a reward. You get food no matter what. Even if you do something wrong, we'll never take food away from you."

Lucy's head turns back towards me and buries in my chest, quiet sobs taking over her body. I pull her closer, slowly rocking back and forth, "Oh honey, it's ok. I know... I know this is all new. It's hard. I know, baby. It's ok. I know."

Brittany scoots closer and wraps her arms around the both of us, placing a kiss on top of Lucy's head, "Let it out, sweetie. You're safe. We've got you..."

* * *

**Brittany's POV**

"She had never been given the option of food!" I rant into the cell phone, "It was like she was either given food or she wasn't and she could never question it."

"So what happened?" Rachel inquires.

I sigh, "I got her calmed down and took her into the kitchen. Eventually we found out she likes grilled cheese, so we had that and chicken noodle soup. She's never had chicken noodle soup before, Rach! What child hasn't had that?"

"I know, Britt. Take some deep breaths. You're very upset and I get that, but you shouldn't let her hear you getting angry. Where is she now?"

"Ugh, San is trying to coax her into the bath," I mutter, flopping down on our bed. "As soon as we mentioned it, she freaked out. She really doesn't want one. I just think it's too soon for her to be so vulnerable in front of us. She's had so many changes in the last few hours, I think it's catching up to her."

"So, what if you can't get her in?"

"Well, the detective she was staying with said she had a bath last night, so we'll probably let it go tonight and try again tomorrow." I hear the hall bathroom door open and close, two voices traveling to the bedroom next to ours, "Yeah, they just left the bathroom. We'll just have to see what happens tomorrow night."

"Is she gonna sleep in her own room tonight?"

"As far as we know, she did when she was with the detective. Here, I'm not sure. She might want some space and be totally ok with sleeping alone, or she could panic and not want us to leave her," I guess.

Rachel sighs, "How was she with the paparazzi?"

I shake my head, shifting on the bed, "Obviously she was scared, but she clung to us, which is a good sign. To a certain degree, she trusts us. We just need to build that up more... But the paps stayed away for the most part. I mean, they were yelling questions and everything, but they didn't invade our space, so she didn't have to worry about that."

"Well that's good, I guess. I'm sure that will change once Santana's new album drops. You guys'll be getting even more attention," Rach replies. "I'll let you go. Quinn and I can't wait to meet her. Call tomorrow and give us an update please."

"Of course," I agree. "Thanks for being here, Rach. Tell Q I said hello. Love you."

"Love you too. Take it slow, hun."

* * *

**Santana's POV**

"Look who it is, baby," I whisper loudly. "Brittany's here."

"Hi girls," she grins as she comes into the bedroom and kneels in front of us. "How did bath time go?"

Lucy's gaze turns down as her body tenses, "I-I... sowwy."

"Oh no, honey, there's no reason to be sorry," I reassure her pulling her closer to me as she stands between me and Britt. "Lucy was a little scared, so we decided to skip it for tonight and just get her in her PJs."

"That's alright, Lucy," B smiles softly at her, running a hand through the little girl's hair. "We'll have to get you some more clothes, though. These PJs are a bit big on you."

"She likes them," I quickly cut in. "She likes them to be that big. We'll have to get her more, but only the big ones that she likes."

"Oh, absolutely," she agrees, giving Lucy's back a gentle pat. "So, it's bedtime now, isn't it?"

"Pwease no..." Lucy's tiny, shaking voice cuts in. "Pwease... No bed pwease... I be good... No bed pwease..."

"No bed? You don't wanna go to bed?" I ask gently.

"No bed pwease. Pwease..."

Brittany and I lock eyes for a second before she turns back to Lucy, "Can you tell us why no bed, sweetie? We're not mad, we just wanna know why the bed is making you upset."

Lucy's eyes stay focused on the floor as she rings her hands and shakes slightly. I brush a strand of hair off of her face and whisper, "Little one, why no bed?"

"Scawy..."

Lucy doesn't even look up as her trembling voice answers.

"Scary?" I reply. "Why is it scary?"

"B-Bad things... happen i-in beds..." I see tears fall from her eyes on to my shirtsleeve.

My jaw clenches and I pull her tiny body a little closer as a wave of rage passes through me. Britt quickly jumps in before I can get any angrier, gently rubbing her hand up and down my back, "Not here. Here in this home, no bad stuff happens in beds. In fact, beds are really good things with us."

Lucy just trembles, "Pwease... I good... pwease no bed..."

"Little one, can you look at me please?" I request softly. Slowly, I see small hazel eyes meet my own and I continue, "Babygirl, I promise nothing bad happens in beds in our home. This room is all yours. If you want us to leave you alone once you go to sleep, we will. If you want us to stay here with you tonight because it's a new place, we will. If you don't want someone to come in your room, they won't. We won't let anyone hurt you in your bed, or anywhere else. I promise, little one."

Lucy's tears increase rapidly as she launches forward into my chest. I quickly grab her and shift so we're both leaning into Brittany, who supports our weight. Tiny fingers grip the front of my shirt and I feel my neck get wet with tears. Britt slowly rocks back and forth, bringing us with her, and I try to calm Lucy, "Shhh you're ok, honey... Shhh... shhh... Take some deep breaths. Breath with me, baby. Shhh..."

* * *

**Brittany's POV**

Gentle fingers run through my hair, down my back, stopping just at the base. Then, the fingers slowly drag back up to my hair. Her body shifts closer to me. Her arm wraps around my waist and pulls me into her body farther. Lips tickle the edge of my ear as whispered words break the silence, "Relax, mi hermosa."

We had finally gotten Lucy to stop crying, but she had fallen asleep from the stress. We put her in bed and she stirred for a few seconds, but a little bit of coaxing and she was back to sleep. After taking a long, hot shower, Santana and I basically fell into bed, exhausted. Santana could feel how tense I was and has been trying to calm me down since we laid down.

"Lucy's just asleep in the other room," she whispers. "Nothing bad is going to happen to her here. She's completely safe. We're going to take amazing care of her now. She'll never have to worry about her old family again. We can start to help her heal now that she's here."

My head shoots up off of Santana's chest, "Oh my god, have we booked the therapist yet? We were supposed to do that earlier. We have to get her in with Quinn. I talked to Rachel earlier, but Quinn wasn't around. She's really busy, we should've already booked it."

"Woah! That was a lot of unnecessary words. You're sounding like Berry-"

"Santana I'm serious! We need to call Quinn right now!" I snap, rolling over to get off the bed.

"No babe stop," San says, grabbing my hand before I can get up. "Listen, I called Quinn this afternoon while you and Lucy were looking at the duck pond out the window. She said she had already cleared a spot for Lucy twice a week for the next few months. Everything's alright. Quinn can't wait to meet her."

I exhale harshly as San gently pulls me back over to her. Wrapping me in her arms, she yawns, "You gotta relax, hon. You're getting worried over everything, but you really don't have to. Lucy's gonna be just fine. We'll make sure of it."

I let my eyes fall closed, "Ok... you're right... I'm sorry for going crazy... it's just... You heard what she said right? About the bed?"

"_Bad things happen in beds..._" Santana's soft voice trembles. "I heard her... I know it's hard to hear... We haven't had any kids like her before... We'll figure it out though. And you know that Quinn will be the best therapist ever. And we'll never have to worry about her selling our secrets to the press."

I giggle, turning over to face her, "Yeah, and we've got Rachel and Puck and Emily and Tina and Mike and Mercedes and Jimmy and Sam and – "

"I get it, Britt, we've got a ton of nerdy friends," San interrupts with a smile. "But yes, you're right. They'll be here for whatever we need."

I sigh, "Ok, I'll relax now... but only if... if you go peak in Lucy's room just to make sure she's ok."

"That," she replies, "I can absolutely do."

* * *

**Santana's POV**

I walk down the hallway quietly, hoping not to let Lucy's hear me coming if she is awake. Luckily, when I get to the door and peak inside, she's out like a light. The little lamp on the small desk in the corner illuminates her tiny face, making her look even more angelic. She's honestly so adorable, I don't understand how anyone could ever have hurt her. She's so sweet and timid. It makes me want to find everyone who ever hurt her and tear them to pieces.

Trying to calm myself down, I step away from the bedroom door, moving towards the living room. I quickly make my way towards the window to the right of the fireplace. Kneeling down on the ground, I rest my hand on the window sill. The moon and stars reflect in the duck pond and remind me of our second child, Kevin. We had just sent our first away to college when the foster agency called us up asking if we could take in another foster kid. Kevin was nine at the time, but acted like he was a teenager. Or, at least, wanted to act that way. He had come from a family of alcoholics and druggies, somehow managing to stay clean.

After months of a stable, loving home, Kevin started to behave and understand how much we cared about him. Britt and Kevin both loved to watch the duck pond from our window. It was one of the ways we could calm him down after a tantrum. Eventually, watching the duck pond just became a way for them to relax, after Kev got over his tantrums.

I smile softly at the fond memories, wanting so badly for Lucy to be able to have that as well. She's so scared of everything, even us. We have to build her trust in us very quickly or else she's going to have to go through some intense stuff all alone. Thankfully, Quinn will be starting her sessions next week. After going through two years at Yale with a useless major, Q found out she wanted to help children heal after her fucked up childhood. Becoming a therapist was her number one priority until she had her diploma in hand. After that, she moved to New York, and she and Rachel got together not long after that. The two of them just seemed to be destined for each other, and after some pushing from the rest of their friends, they decided not to waste any more time. Having a spontaneous wedding was pretty awesome, except for when the press showed up, trying to get photos of Rachel. It was right after she announced a temporary leave from Broadway and they were desperate for photos to publish. Thankfully, Puck scared them off and the wedding was perfect.

We haven't used Quinn as a therapist for any of our past kids, but we thought it would be a good idea for Lucy because we're so familiar with her. Seeing that we trust Quinn might help Lucy understand that it was ok for her to trust her as well. Besides, this way Quinn may be able to see Lucy outside of sessions also, so she could see Lucy's dynamics other than in a session.

"Sanny," I hear Britt's quiet voice, interrupting my thoughts. "Come back to bed. You've been gone too long and it's almost 2 AM. We should both sleep. We don't know how tomorrow is gonna be like with Lucy."

I sigh heavily, pushing myself up to stand. Glancing back once at the window, I take Britt's hand, "I know... I was just thinking about stuff... Let's go to sleep..."


End file.
